Baby tiger
by Dellinah
Summary: After much hesitation and expectation, Shira and Diego finally become parents. However, pregnancy and labor may be harder than it seems at first. One-shot/Slice of life.


**So, I watched Ice Age 5 today. I've been a fan of these movies ever since I was a kid but never had any ideas to write about it until now, so I decided to try it.**

 **Thoughts on the movie: very funny with cute family moments that made the characters even more likeable. Much better than the fourth (which is my least favorite Ice Age movie) but kind of full of moments that didn't need to be there because they added nothing to the story. Still, I was really glad to see Buck back and that he got so much screen time and solo moments, because he was the best thing from the third movie and part of the reason why I dislike the fourth is that he wasn't part of it. Well, it's a great movie and I definitely recommend it.**

 **Enough of my boring talk, enjoy the story!**

* * *

Night was about to fall across the cold, peaceful land; a few stars had already begun to twinkle in the clean sky. An ever-changing pattern of orange light rays danced together with the dark blue color that quickly took over the sky as the sun disappeared behind the horizon as the night finally came into existence, calling for all the animals to sleep and rest.

One, however, couldn't.

Shira rolled over to lay on her other side with a grunt, stretching her limbs in a failed attempt to get any more comfortable. Her back was sore and her stomach burned inside for being so stretched, not to mention how heavy and awkward it made her feel. Her eyes were droopy and her body begged her to get some rest, but she just couldn't fall asleep because she couldn't get any comfortable no matter what.

With another loud grunt, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling of the cave; her grunt being loud enough to wake the previously sleeping orange saber beside her. Diego blinked his eyes open and yawned, raising his head and looking around to adjust his sight to the darkness. It wasn't long until his eyes fell upon the grumpy tigress by his side, more precisely on her frown and pout. He could not help but chuckle at her as he stood up and approached her, sitting by her side.

"Hey," He called, slightly startling Shira as she hadn't seen him yet, "anything wrong?"

She sighed and rolled to her side again, turning her back on him as her ears folded back.

"I can't sleep," She whispered, "I feel sick."

"I'm sorry." He took a deep breath and lay down by her side, resting his head on Shira's shoulder and licking the top of her head. Said action got her to smile a little, which made him smile as well. He looked over to her huge and round belly and whispered in her ear, "It's going to be over soon, you know that."

"I know," She sighed and laid her head on her paws, "But it feels like it's been way too long. I just wish this baby would come out at once, I can't stand being pregnant anymore."

"I understand." He nodded and licked her head again to calm her down, thinking about how frustrated Shira got because she could not hunt or run in her current state. But as much as he hated seeing her like that, he just loved to think that she was carrying their child. "But you look really beautiful like this."

Diego smiled and Shira pouted.

"I look fat." She muttered under her breath.

He chuckled. "No, you look pregnant. It's different."

"It's the same thing. But I wouldn't feel this bad if I was just fat. I just feel so icky." She raised her head and sighed, looking over her shoulder to look at her smiling husband and he nuzzled her cheek. She sighed and smiled as well, nuzzling his cheek back before looking down affectionately at her swollen belly. "But it's going to be worth it."

"It will." His eyes followed her gaze. "How do you think it's going to look like?"

She shrugged. "I don't know; but I know our baby will be beautiful. I'm more curious to find out the gender. Which one do you prefer, Diego? A boy or a girl?"

"It doesn't matter to me, honestly. Whichever one comes, I'll be happy." He replied and sighed in content.

Shire smiled for a quarter of second before wincing and hissing, curling up into a ball and retracting her belly. Diego jumped up in the blink of an eye and stood in front of her, panting.

"Are you ok?" He asked in despair, quickly looking from side to side and scratching the ground as apprehension built up inside him when he thought of the implications Shira's gesture brought. "Is it time?"

Diego was about to run out of the cave and go call for help when Shira took a deep breath and held out her paw, shaking her head and relaxing her body. "No, it's just another one of those false alarms. It's been happening a lot lately. And this baby sure likes to kick up a storm, too."

He sighed in relief as he lay back down and smiled. "It seems that it has patience issues."

Shira nodded before her eyes widened and her ears perked up. She smiled widely as she looked at her belly again before looking at Diego.

"It's kicking! It's kicking again!" She let out a breathless laugh as she did whenever she felt the baby kicking inside of her. As much as she seemed to despise everything about pregnancy, it was clear that there were things about it that she enjoyed more than she was willing to admit.

Diego laughed and nuzzled her, his gaze locked on her belly. She smiled at him and looked down.

"Do you want to feel it?" She asked, and Diego's jaw dropped a little when her words sank in. His eyes widened as he gulped and nodded.

Shire rolled onto her size to expose her belly to him as he stood up and lay down in front of her swollen body. For a few seconds he did nothing but stare at her, watching as her body moved up and down with her steady breath. Diego was astonished and nervous, as if he was afraid that he could hurt Shira or the baby by merely touching her. Still, he wanted to feel it more than he had ever wanted anything else. After gathering enough courage, he leaned his head and paw against Shira and held his breath.

A few seconds that felt like days passed by, and Diego did not move until he felt a little bump beat against his cheek. He gasped in surprise, letting out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. He had never felt such happiness as he did in that moment when he first felt his child, _their baby._ It wasn't even born yet, but he could feel it.

After another bump against his paw, he came back to reality and raised his head, backing away from Shira a little. She chuckled at his smile and watery eyes that shined with unshed tears.

"I felt it," He said under his breath, "I felt our baby."

Shira smiled at him and lay her head down with a sigh, closing her eyes. He scooted closer to her and lay his head on her shoulders, closing his eyes as well as he smiled and let out a deep breath; nuzzling her neck.

"It's going to be ok. Soon enough our baby will be here." He whispered.

Diego waited for her to reply, but all he heard was a soft snore. He chuckled and looked at her peaceful sleeping figure. He had underestimated just how tired she was as she fell asleep in mere seconds, but he was glad that she was finally going to get some rest.

"Good night, Shira." He whispered and then looked down at her belly, smiling again. "Good night, kid."

* * *

Shira and Ellie walked side by side, going toward the lake to meet up with their friends and husbands when Shira hissed and stopped in her tracks.

"Are you ok, dear?" Ellie asked Shira when she seemed to have trouble walking as her legs shivered under her weight.

"Yeah," Shira took a deep breath and tried to recover her steadiness to keep walking; but failed and felt the need to sit down. The mammoth nodded knowingly and rubbed the tigress' back with her snout.

"Take deep breaths." Ellie told her and watched as Shira did as she told her.

Shira grunted and sighed.

"I feel so heavy. And I'm so hungry, but I feel too sick to eat. I just wish this baby would come out at once, it's already three days late!" She gulped and looked up at Ellie. "You don't think there's something wrong with it, do you?"

Ellie chuckled. "No, I'm sure you're alright. Peaches was a few days early; there is no right formula for these things, they happen when they have to happen."

"Yeah," The tigress rolled her eyes, "I just wish it would happen sooner."

"It will happen soon enough." Ellie nodded. "And you'll be alright."

Shira smiled at her friend and took another deep breath before standing up with quite some effort. Ellie nodded as well and helped Shira to stand up, but before they could give another step, Shira felt a sharp pain in her belly. She let out a cry and clutched her stomach, frowning. She tried to convince herself that it was just another false alarm, but that pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

"Shira!" Ellie exclaimed as she used her snout to give the tigress some support. "Are you ok?"

"T-The baby," She wheezed, "I think it's coming!"

"Oh, God," Ellie shook her head, "Of course it couldn't wait until we got to the lake, it had to be in the middle of the way! What is it with babies and choosing the worst time possible to come out?"

The mammoth shook the memories out of her head when the tigress let out another ear-piercing cry. She tried to keep calm as she looked around.

"There," Ellie nodded toward a tree that was nearby, "I don't think here would be a good spot. Do you think you can make it?"

Shira took a deep breath and opened her eyes, trying to focus on something else other than the excruciating pain that was going through her body and made her sight blurry. She gulped and nodded, leaning on Ellie and walking by her side as she did her best not to fall over. As soon as they got there, she lay down on her side, practically falling over when she did so. She closed her eyes and panted with her breath unsteady and heavy.

"Stay calm," Ellie told her, "Take deep breaths."

"O-Okay." Shira nodded with a shaking head, but grunted shortly afterwards.

"It's ok, you'll be ok." Ellie assured her again, trying to remember what made her feel better when she was in the same situation. She looked to the path they were previously walking on and then back at Shira. "Do you want me to go call the guys?"

Shira gulped and looked at the path as well, trying to ignore the pain as she pondered. "I- I don't know. I, I don't want to be left alone." She was afraid to let her friend go, but at the same time, she wanted her husband to be there for her.

Ellie nodded. "It's ok, I'll stay here. When they notice we're not getting there they'll come see what's wrong."

Shira nodded back and gulped again.

"Now come on, all you have to do is take deep breaths and push."

The tigress let out a cry that sent any birds nearby to fly away in fear.

* * *

Manny, Sid and Diego sat by the lake as they waited for their friends to arrive. The calm and relaxing atmosphere was broken when a cry sounded through the air, being followed by scared birds that flew fast past the herd. It startled all the once calm animals, who gasped and looked around in confusion.

"What was _that_?" Sid inquired.

"I don't know." Manny answered, "But it sounded like a scream."

"You don't suppose it's a dangerous animal, do you?" Sid jumped and hid behind the mammoth.

Diego stood up from his spot and began pacing around, squinting. "No, it sounded more like someone in pain..."

When the cry was heard yet again, he realized what it was.

"It's Shira!" Diego yelled with wide eyes, not wasting a second before he jumped ahead and began running as fast as he could; getting out of sight in the blink of an eye as Sid and Manny were left speechless. They exchanged worried glances before realization hit them and they followed the same path the tiger had gone to, even if way slower.

* * *

The only sound to be heard was Shira's raspy and quick breath as she scratched the ground while Ellie stood by her side and rubbed her back with her snout, encouraging the tigress as much as she could. Shira tried to focus on Ellie's voice rather than on the pain she felt, but it was consuming her as if her entire body was on fire.

"You have to push," Ellie reminded her and got a small angry roar from the tigress.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" She snapped at the mammoth, who could not help but wonder if she had gotten that grumpy when she was giving birth to her daughter. Her thoughts were interrupted when Shira let out another cry; each one being louder and higher pitched than the previous one.

* * *

Diego was out of breath and tired like never before when he spotted Ellie and his wife under a tree; which got him to use strength and energy that he didn't even know he had left. He quickly got close to them, but was too afraid and too nervous to approach them. He stood frozen a few feet away from the girls; not knowing what to do. They were too focused on what was happening to even notice the tiger standing there.

His heart was beating so fast that he could hear it; his breath was just as loud as he tried to move his legs but failed. It wasn't until he heard Shira shrieking in pain that he snapped out of it, jumping up and running to them. Shira didn't even notice he had arrived until he spoke up.

"Shira! Are you ok?!" He yelled, pacing in front of his wife.

Shira opened her eyes to look at him and seemed to shortly forget about the pain she was going through when she growled at him in the middle of her breaths and cries. "What do you think? I'm _giving birth_ here!"

Diego gave a step back, surprised; but shook his head and lay beside Ellie, ignoring how angry and mad Shira seemed to be. It pained him to see her in pain, but he knew that all he could do was be there for her. He joined the mammoth and began encouraging the tigress as she wheezed in pain. He reached out for her and laid his paw over hers.

"Push, you'll be ok. You're doing great. You can do it, come on!" He said and began breathing slowly to show her how to do it. His voice seemed to smooth her a little as she opened her eyes and nodded before following the pattern of his breaths. Her eyes scrunched closed as she grunted, her hind legs twitching in awkward angles as she felt her belly burning as if she was being ripped in half.

"D-Diego," She cried in a whisper. His ears shot up at her call. "Co-Come closer, p-please."

He nodded and stood up as Ellie backed away from Shira so that he could take her place and lay right beside his wife. She leaned her head on his neck and breathed, wincing in pain once more. He could feel that her fur was wet from tears and sweat, and felt guilty for putting her through that but tried his best to remain calm.

"You'll be ok, come on, push!" He encouraged her again.

"Come on, dear! You're strong, you can do it!" Ellie said.

Shira panted and raised her head, nodding. While she pushed with all of her strength, Manny and Sid came into the view. They were both running, tired and out of breath, but they didn't stop until they were close to their friends; yet not too close. Diego and Ellie looked at them, but the prior's attention quickly went back to his wife while Ellie stood up and walked up to her husband and the sloth.

"How's it going?" Manny asked.

Before she could say anything, a soft cry filled the air.

* * *

Everyone stilled in their places as they tried to calm their racing hearts down.

Diego jumped up as he backed away slowly, trying to understand what was happening but failing. Shira gulped and took a deep breath, relaxing her entire body at once. She felt sore and tired, but somehow she also felt happier than she had ever felt before. Ellie, Manny and Sid slowly turned to the direction where the tigress was, watching in silence as she turned her head and grabbed a small light orange bundle that was lying near her legs and took it to her paws.

"It's... It's a boy." She whispered in awe, her eyes shining as she gazed down lovingly at the small tiger she cradled in her paws. She let out a laugh as she looked up to look at Diego, who, once again, was frozen. "What are you waiting for? Don't you want to see your son?"

With a gulp, Diego sharply inhaled and nodded before he approached the tigress again. All of their friends watched with excited smiles when Diego finally got close enough to look at the cub.

Diego was enchanted. The cub had a light orange fur that was adorned by several darker markings on his head and paws; with bright blue eyes that looked up at the adult tiger in curiosity. He lay down in front of the cub, not being able to look away. Just a few hours before he had felt that little baby kicking from inside Shira's belly, and now he was right there, right in front of him.

He gently extended one of his toes out and slowly caressed the cub's head. He was so small, so soft, so warm; it almost felt like he was going to break at the slightest touch. However, the cub mewled before snuggling into his mother's chest and closing his eyes, leaning against his father's touch before he yawned and mewled. Diego could not believe it.

He was a father now.

"He's perfect." He said as he licked Shira's sweat-soaked cheek. "You did a great job."

Shira smiled and closed her eyes, sighing in happiness.

"I love you." Diego whispered in Shira's ear as she licked their cub.

"I love you too." She said as they both looked down at their cub, who looked up at them and seemed just as happy as the new parents.

As everyone approached the couple to see their new cub, the space was filled with 'aws' and compliments.

* * *

 **So, this was my first try at writing labor/pregnancy. I had to do some research but I'm still not sure about how this turned out, I just hope it wasn't terrible. I adore Diego and Shira and the idea of them having a family makes me really happy.**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!**


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